Full time vet & amateur event rider

Month: June 2014

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Sadly I have made the difficult decision to withdraw Ali from Barbury 2* 😦 After getting her to Salperton I thought she was over her cough but I feel with her coughing a little at the beginning of exercise again this week I cannot risk running her despite her feeling very well in herself – I don’t want to do any permanent damage. It is so frustrating with her going so well but her longer term future is more important than these next few events and hopefully she still is “one for the future”. Time for next course of treatment…

I am lucky that Donovan has (finally) come back so well from injury and I can still take him for my (and his) first ever 2* run! We went XC schooling to the fantastic Lyneham Heath Equestrian (unfortunately a 1.5hr journey from us – wish it was closer!) yesterday and tried out some new brakes. I took him over lots of skinnies and tricky corners – he still felt he could be a cheeky boy but went over everything… I will just have to make sure I am really on the ball!!! He did however jump through the loop (like owl hole but not brush all the way round) really well. Keeping everything crossed he behaves himself and I ride well! Looking forward to our few days away and hoping to meet lots of new people 🙂

Donovan flying the angled skinny after the “hoop” fence

Another positive (must remember positive mental attitude #pma!): brought our 4yo (half sister to Ali) back into work – she has also had a cough but fingers crossed seems to be much better. She has been fab! No misbehaving (other than mild spooks), good schooling then popped over a few fences in a row in the arena up to 90cm 🙂 Thinking we may aim her at a 4yo class in the next couple of months.

Our first event for 5 weeks! We were at Salperton both days, first with Donovan for the Advanced Intermediate (AI) and then Ali for the Novice Regional Final (NRF). Such a lovely setting and a fantastic well run event – very lucky to have lots of sun too!

I thought it would be good fun to do an AI with Donovan, also it was good to practice doing a long arena test with more lateral work in it (plus wear my top hat and tails!!) I ended up following the Badminton winning combination into the arena – how many sports can you say that you have competed in the same class as the winner of the biggest competition in the sporting calendar!!! Donovan worked in quite well…

He did a solid test, if not a little spooky at the flowers (will he ever grow out of this…), which meant he was slightly tense in a couple of movements. I felt his lateral work was quite good and he kept the forwardness during these movements, which we have been working on – the message from the judges was a little confused with them contradicting each other at times (always a bit irritating!). He scored a reasonable 36 to be just outside the top half after dressage – not bad considering the company!

Show jumping would be the biggest course we had ever jumped (apart from practicing “clear round” at Moores Farm). He just clipped the 4th fence, which was causing a lot of faults (seemed to riding as quite a short distance), then I was annoyed with myself for over-checking at 2 other fences causing one to fall and a very awkward jump at the last – he was a very good boy to make such an effort to jump and leave it standing but did almost catapult me out of the saddle in the process. I think it just shows how much better you ride when riding more horses at home – with Ali having been off work I have only jumped Donovan at the bigger heights so am not as practiced – I am certain this is another big reason the professionals, who ride many horses every day have an advantage over us as amateurs! Looking back, although I was disappointed with my riding when I came out of the arena 8 faults in our first AI is ok and the rest of the round felt good and I did ride forward most of the way!!

Onto the XC and the problem… I have been working on Donovan’s fitness as he can struggle to make the time, well he is definitely fitter… and now too strong for little me! He was back to his ways before his injury – fab on first part of the course but when it comes to the combinations/skinnies, I just couldn’t get him back or “up” enough. So we are off XC schooling this afternoon and trying out Ali’s little tom thumb gag – she uses it with roundings… Donovan will not!!

Onto Sunday and Ali – I was lucky not to have too early times and had walked the course saturday evening before we left so we had more time to get ready in the morning. It was rather touch and go as to whether she would get to the event at all having only been ridden for 7 days before the event, then on the morning in her excitement while I was bathing and plaiting she was coughing a bit again – argh! I had already decided as Salperton is fairly local we would go and do dressage and see how she felt, doing the same onto SJ if ok etc.

Again she coughed a few times in the dressage warm up (“why is she doing this… no coughing at all for good few days at home while working”) but she worked in quite well. She performed what we felt was a reasonable test, with no mistakes other than a slip in one medium canter but simple changes could have been more direct we felt… but as always (we find) in dressage you can never predict your mark – she scored 22.3 to finished second only to Mr William Fox Pitt after the dressage phase!!

We decided to go over to SJ warm up and again see how she felt – we powered over and as soon as she saw the coloured poles she felt rather excited, which I was pleased about. She was just fabulous to jump and did a beautiful clear round trying so hard to pick her toes up all the way round a tricky track, which was causing lots of faults including time. With the horse in first position gaining 2 time penalties we edged into the lead (which never bodes well I find….)

Onto XC and me willing the commentator to “pipe down” about our lead etc. etc. at the start!!! My plan was to take it steady and ensure she felt ok… she had other ideas and was off feeling amazing as usual. She jumped the rather upright gate into the woods about double the height required!! But what could have been an amazing comeback was all lost when I just didn’t ride her correctly to the skinny up the hill out of the water and paid the penalty. I was so cross with myself and felt I had let her down so badly as she really deserved to go to championships being so amazing all day, she has never before faulted at a skinny so was all my fault.

Certainly a weekend of lows 😦 but must try to focus on the positives and hope that I can find my brakes on Donovan and that Ali is now fit to go to Barbury 2* with both of them.

After the huge disappointment of Ali not being able to go to Tattersalls, I decided to go for the experience of travelling horses by ferry and helping groom for Nick. I had got the time booked off work and thought otherwise I would just be sat here looking at her in the field!! I travelled out with the horses and very experienced groom Alex Van Tuyll, which was great to learn the ropes of travelling horses by ferry and means I would be happy taking ours out in the future if needed.

Nick didn’t arrive until the Wednesday morning so on Tuesday I was lucky enough to hack both boys: Cairnside Sir Alex who was competing in the CCI** and The Court Jester in the CIC*** During the week I was able to do plenty of watching of all phases as well as the riders working in – it was interesting to see their routines and what was done with the horses on the days they weren’t doing any competition. It was good to have time to walk all the courses too. The facilities and atmosphere at Tatts are amazing and I most definitely aim to be back next year (maybe even with Donovan in the CIC***….) My parents came to Ireland too as their B+B was already booked and on the Thursday we went to Fairyhouse races – unbelievably we had 2 winners winning 140 euros – this NEVER happens…

Alex performed consistently in all 3 phases, jumping double clear for 11th in the CCI**

Cairnside Sir Alex looking smart working in for the 2* dressage

Alex cross country

Alex giving the show jumps plenty of height!

But unfortunately after a lovely dressage, Jester didn’t show jump as well so was withdrawn from the XC… the ups and downs of eventing!!

Jester working in for his dressage test

Jester in his test

I also seem to be improving in my photography skills haha!! I got some great photos in the show jumping, which I will put up on my facebook page when I get round to it along with a few photos of the courses.

Ali still isn’t quite right (although extremely bright when I hacked her!!), which at least confirmed to me that I made the correct decision – I am hopeful that she will be ok in time for her Novice Regional Final run at Salperton later this month. I have entered Donovan for the Advanced Intermediate here: AI dressage, advanced SJ and intermediate XC – stepping him up a level and hoping to get qualified for Advanced in his next 2 runs so that we can go to the Intermediate Championships at Gatcombe in August!! There are many top horses entered in the class too… including the winner of Badminton 2014!!